ナイトライフ
Nightlife
From dusk till dawn
When the sun sets, Japan’s streets transform under the bright glow of neon lights. From frenetic clubs to chilled-out live music events, the country has all the usual nightlife options that you might expect. For a quintessentially Japanese night out, however, your best port of call is an izakaya or a karaoke bar.
Be More Japan Nightlife
D Shimbashi is a popular nightlife district in Tokyo.
Be More Japan Nightlife
Izakaya
A cross between a bar and a restaurant, izakaya are the Japanese equivalent of pubs. Evolving out of standing bars in sake shops, they offered small plates of food to go with the drinks and became popular places for after-work socializing. You can usually find izakaya near train stations or in entertainment districts, and the atmosphere is lively with lots of chatter. They make the perfect venue for a long, relaxed evening— grab a table, order some sake, and steadily work your way through the appetizing array of tapas-style dishes.
Be More Japan Nightlife
D Izakaya are great for socializing and unpretentious food.
Be More Japan Nightlife
Karaoke Culture
Karaoke has its roots in utagoe kissa—singing cafés that were popular in the 1950s to 1970s—and since then has become a global phenomenon. Standing up in front of your friends to sing along to a recorded backing track might seem like a nightmare to some, but for a hard- working Japanese population it’s a way to let off steam. It’s even common as a team-bonding exercise, and acts as a great leveler—proficiency level is not taken into account, and quite often the worst vocal will get the best response. At the majority of Japanese venues you book a private room, so you don’t have to worry about singing in front of strangers. You can also order in food and drink, and while many Japanese people won’t need to get drunk to let their karaoke inhibitions go, it adds to the bonding experience—combining the casual feel of after-work drinks with the entertainment value of a sing-along.
D Trips to karaoke bars are a convivial way to relax after work.
try it out
In any urban area of Japan, you’re likely to have many choices when it comes to picking a karaoke place for your evening entertainment. Big Echo and Joysound are the most foreigner-friendly in terms of the technology and instructions, but the assistants at any venue will be happy to give you a walkthrough of the handheld console that’s used to input the songs. English words almost always accompany the Japanese lyrics on screen, and Joysound even has a list of the best non-Japanese Karaoke songs for the 2010s.
Be More Japan Nightlife
Essential Terms
Juhachiban: The song you excel at singing—if you don’t have one already, karaoke will help you find it.
Karamovie: The music video that plays along with the songs at karaoke—often a retro-looking creation by the karaoke companies, as the real videos are too expensive.
Hitokara: Singing karaoke alone; not as common as going as a group, but sometimes you just need to practice your juhachiban!